Shaun steals the show for Chelsea as Lescott own goal swings tie

The England manager watched the drama unfold from his cushioned seat in the stands as Shaun Wright-Phillips — marked 'at risk' as Capello swots up for his first game against Switzerland — took a starring role in this absorbing semi-final tie.

Breakthrough: Wright-Phillips takes the applause after curling home the opener

The Italian, high up in the stands at Stamford Bridge alongside his trusted assistant Franco Baldini, saw the very best and very worst of English football in the space of 90 relentless minutes.

That, it has to be said, is just how we like it.

Chelsea drew first blood when Wright- Phillips curled a quite beautiful effort beyond Everton keeper Tim Howard in the 26th minute, but the maddening sight of John Mikel Obi launching into another reckless tackle after the break also left its mark on this Carling Cup tie.

Then the two teams were toe to toe, slugging it out until Yakubu equalised with a hooked effort in the 64th minute, but Chelsea finished off this first leg with a dramatic winner deep into injury time.

Harsh on Everton, who battled bravely for 90 minutes, but Chelsea's tiny midfield dynamo deserves a hero-gram.

Wright-Phillips, infuriating one game and intoxicating the next, was at his brilliant best against an Everton team with their sights firmly set on their first major final for 13 years.

The Chelsea midfielder, playing alongside Michael Ballack and Obi in the centre of their three-man midfield, twisted, teased and tantalised his way through this first leg. He was electric.

Yak attack: Striker Yakubu swivels and equalises for Everton after a Hilario mistake

Whenever the ball is at this boy's feet, 40,000 supporters at Stamford Bridge slide towards the edge of their seats; sometimes they slip off them in despair and sometimes they stand to attention to applaud those magical runs down the right wing.

Last night they watched openmouthed as he bent the opening goal beyond Howard. Wayne Bridge began the move on the left when he twice swapped passes with Florent Malouda, but Wright-Phillips can stand alone for this moment of magic.

Everton's defenders failed to close him down and he swept the ball past Howard with the deftest of touches. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

The home side were on the charge, but Obi made a game of it when he was sent off for the fourth time in his career at Chelsea for a reckless challenge on Phil Neville.

Down to 10 men, they were almost down and out when Everton equalised.

They may not be the Dogs of War that characterised the Everton team who won the FA Cup in 1995 under Joe Royle, but there is a determination about this emerging side.

With Obi in the dressing room, Everton dominated possession. Lee Carsley went close, James McFadden almost fashioned an equaliser, but Yakubu signed off for the African Cup of Nations with a powerful effort just inside the area. Cue delirium in The Shed, where 6,000 travelling Evertonians were stationed behind the goal as they savoured a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

They were spoilt under Howard Kendall in the 1980s, when Kevin Sheedy, Andy Gray, Trevor Steven and Neville Southall regularly made their way up the 39 steps to the Royal Box at Wembley.

The School of Science won the league, the FA Cup and the European Cup-Winners' Cup under Kendall, but semi-finals are unique occasions for this famous old club.

They are not out of it by any means, but Chelsea were there for the taking.

The Carling Cup holders creaked whenever Everton piled forward and McFadden had the chance to put them on Fantasy Island when he burst into the penalty area.

Juliano Belletti pulled out of a challenge, but McFadden's effort clipped the outside of a post. Chelsea responded by withdrawing the talented Joe Cole and sending Steve Sidwell into battle against the bruisers in the middle of Everton's midfield.

Joseph Yobo, Phil Jagielka, Neville and Carsley snap and snarl their way through 90 minutes each week for this Everton team and they did not deserve to be on the losing side.

They rolled up their sleeves and never once shirked a challenge, but Chelsea nicked it in the final seconds of this wonderful cup tie.

Ballack, captaining Chelsea in the absence of just about anyone senior and responsible enough to take the armband, somehow scooped the ball back over his head towards the far post.

At 5ft 6ins, Wright-Phillips had no hope of beating Lescott in the air. Instead, he took a ride on his England team-mate's back and Lescott headed the ball into his own net.

Tough on Everton, but this tie is still to be decided. There will be 40,000 Evertonians waiting for Chelsea at Goodison Park in two weeks' time, but they will be without their main goalscoring threat for the second leg.

Yakubu will be on international duty with Nigeria, but at least Everton have the comfort of an away goal to consider over the next fortnight.

They know that a 1-0 victory would be enough after extra time at Goodison Park to take them to the final, and an expert in the art of narrow wins has just arrived in England.

If Moyes needs any advice, just dial 'F' for Fabio.

Chelsea: Hilario, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Obi, Ballack, Malouda, Joe Cole, Pizarro. Subs: Cudicini, Sidwell, Ferreira, Ben-Haim, Sahar.

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Cahill, Neville, Carsley, McFadden, Johnson, Yakubu. Subs: Wessels, Gravesen, Vaughan, Nuno Valente, Anichebe.

Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)